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Kenny Vaccaro | Safety

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Saints selected Texas S Kenny Vaccaro with the No. 15 overall pick.

Vaccaro (6-0, 214) was a 32-game starter for Texas, leading the team in tackles (107) as a senior and finishing his career with five interceptions to go with four forced fumbles. Despite average long speed (4.63), Vaccaro displays outstanding range and man-coverage skills on tape, in addition to aggressiveness in run support. He jumped 38" vertically at the Combine and showed splendid short-area movement with a 6.78 three-cone drill. Vaccaro has an NFL-ready skill set because he can cover one-on-one and guard the deep half as a single-high safety. The Texas products' specialty is lining up against mismatch targets, whether it be quick slot receivers or larger tight ends. That will certainly help in a division which features Tony Gonzalez and Greg Olsen. Thu, Apr 25, 2013 09:59:00 PM

Both seem to be locked into the top 15. Vaccaro and Austin actually put forth one of the more compelling matchups of the season, with Vaccaro coming out on top. Both present some nice versatility, albeit on different sides of the field, in the NFL. Thu, Apr 25, 2013 02:56:00 PM

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport writes that multiple scouts have told him Texas S Kenny Vaccaro is their only first-round graded safety.

This is not entirely surprising but it is not something we entirely agree with, either. While Vaccaro has a lot of upside and fits in the ever-evolving NFL, we believe Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien is also worthy of a first-round selection. Wed, Apr 24, 2013 03:26:00 PM

One NFC scout told Rams beat writer Jim Thomas that the team has to take Texas S Kenny Vaccaro.

"I’d take Vaccaro. I think he’s probably not as good as Earl Thomas but he’s up there," the scout said. "He’s a legitimate guy." Vaccaro fits any team's style since he can cover the new wave of mismatch offensive types, lining up against quicker slot receivers or larger tight ends. Tue, Apr 23, 2013 11:30:00 AM

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Both seem to be locked into the top 15. Vaccaro and Austin actually put forth one of the more compelling matchups of the season, with Vaccaro coming out on top. Both present some nice versatility, albeit on different sides of the field, in the NFL.

NFL.com's Ian Rapoport writes that multiple scouts have told him Texas S Kenny Vaccaro is their only first-round graded safety.

This is not entirely surprising but it is not something we entirely agree with, either. While Vaccaro has a lot of upside and fits in the ever-evolving NFL, we believe Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien is also worthy of a first-round selection.

One NFC scout told Rams beat writer Jim Thomas that the team has to take Texas S Kenny Vaccaro.

"I’d take Vaccaro. I think he’s probably not as good as Earl Thomas but he’s up there," the scout said. "He’s a legitimate guy." Vaccaro fits any team's style since he can cover the new wave of mismatch offensive types, lining up against quicker slot receivers or larger tight ends.

Jeremiah also wrote that the team will look to address the cornerback position in the second round. As he notes, the Dolphins previously addressed that position in the second round when they selected Sean Smith out of Utah, but Smith left the team this off-season. They are seriously lacking players at the position, so it makes sense.

Texas S Kenny Vaccaro is visiting the Dolphins on Tuesday and the Saints Wednesday.

Whengauging who is showing interest in Vaccaro, it seems like he will be a top 15 selection. The Cowboys could also be a contender in a trade up, but Vaccaro's ability to handle Joker receivers in coverage will be coveted. We expect him to tbe the first safety off the board, with Johnathan Cyprien after.

"...Not only did he display the ability to play man-to-man versus wide receivers, he also was utilized as a deep safety, both in single high coverage and 2 deep shells," Cosell wrote about Vaccaro. "In those situations, he was both fluid and active in coverage, and aggressive playing downhill in the run game. He always pressed to the ball, and demonstrated sideline-to-sideline range with outstanding play speed and a reckless attitude. He showed explosion as a tackler with natural pop. Overall, I saw Vaccaro as a multi-dimensional safety with an expansive skill set and no physical shortcomings that would limit defensive coordinators."

The Bengals pick at No. 21, and it is no sure thing that Vaccaro will still be on the board. The team does need to find a counterpart to Reggie Nelson in the back half, and Vaccaro shows versatility by pressing slot receivers at the line or working in the back half.

"I don't think when we look at this draft five years from now that we'll have as many Pro Bowlers in the top 10 than you had in either of the last two drafts," Brandt said. "Between 11 and 50, there's a lot of good players. But they're very close between 11 and 50. And I'd say if you took the 45th player in 2013, he'd be slightly better than the 45th player in 2012. That's the strength of this draft -- the depth."

The Dallas Morning News' Brandon George reports Texas S Kenny Vaccaro will work out for the Tennessee Titans on March 27.

The Titans will likely be looking to add a safety in the draft and they could do just that by drafting Vaccaro with the No. 10 overall selection. Vaccaro is highly rated by many for his athleticism and man coverage ability but needs to improve in run defense. He's the type of defender that fits the new wave of slot receivers, as he can mirror them in isolation with relative ease.

This is an interesting thought considering Barron was a Top 10 pick last year. Although Vaccaro is lighter on his feet, he is not as big as Barron and not as quality of a run defender. Both, however, are best suited as split-field safeties in the NFL. Vaccaro is expected to be a Top 20 selection despite concerns over his angles in run pursuit.

The Steelers' presence at Texas' Pro Day, including HC Mike Tomlin, could link them to S Kenny Vaccaro, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

Vaccaro might then be deemed the successor to Tory Polamalu, per Breer. They both do great things closer to the box and Vaccaro has a similar "all or nothing" approach to each snap, in terms of making an impact or possibly making a mistake. No. 17 might be the latest Vaccaro goes on draft day.

Texas S Kenny Vaccaro is suffering from a hip flexor injury and will not run the forty at the school's pro day.

Many were hoping to see Vaccaro improve on his "official" 4.63 forty time from the Combine, but in the grand scheme of things the time isn't a big negative. Expect representatives form nearly every team to attend the school's Tuesday pro day. Vaccaro will likely be a top-17 selection.

Texas S Kenny Vaccaro is scheduled to visit the Dolphins at an undisclosed time.

This will count as one of the Dolphins' official visits. The team is locked in with Reshad Jones as one safety, but they might be looking to upgrade on Chris Clemons. The alternative is that the Dolphins staff is looking to get ahead of the curve and find talent for a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, since Vaccaro is very good at matching up against slot receivers.

ESPN's Herm Edwards ranks Texas' Kenny Vaccaro as the top S in this draft class.

Florida's Matt Elam, FIU's John Cyprien, Oklahoma's Tony Jefferson, and LSU's Eric Reid round out the top five. "Vaccaro is a very versatile player who was matched up against slot receivers a lot in college," Edwards writes. "He has enough speed to keep up with them and understands both man and zone concepts. A three-down player who has strong closing ability, he is better close to the line of scrimmage than playing deep."